Joanna

I will check on the link you provided. There is no need to reply. Again, thank very much for your time and information! Send me an email when you get your book on the market!

Sincerely,

Joanna

Remember, private doesn’t always equal for-profit. There’s a difference between University of Phoenix and Harvard University, both private schools with two differing missions; both make money, but use it differently. One is for-profit and the other not-for-profit. Both offer online degree programs.

I think that the lure of a fast-track to a college degree and the opportunity to bypass more stringent application requirements is often the second largest reason why people flock to for-profit schools – right after being misinformed or clueless.

Joanna, you are presented with facts, hypotheses, and down-right hearsay everyday. Yet, you are able to choose what to do with all that information, and how you choose to compile it in order to make sense of things. Having gone to UOP is something that you should be proud of; you’re more than vested by now. You’ll be graduating soon, so never take that hard-earned education as a mistake in light of my comments or societal perception. But given what you know now, you can make a much more informed decision about your future academic and employment plans. Always aim high and settle for nothing less than you feel you’re worth.

I leave you with a link to a PBS documentary, which all future and current college students should see, titled: “College, Inc.” – http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/collegeinc/view/

This will have to end our telegraphing, as the next thing I’m going to have to do is publish a book I have no intent writing just yet. Let’s just say that the last few days of writing contributed to about half of it

I hope my blog has been of some help, but the rest is up to you. You got this whole thing covered anyway, and in light of our conversation, I will be working on a few blog posts to help future and current students with exactly what you — and probably thousands and thousands of people — will go, are going, or have gone through. I am already working on a website just on online colleges and degree programs – a platform that will allow me to reach ALL online students vs. just criminal justice students.

All the best

- Radek

Joanna

[another link removed by Radek]

Given what I know now, this is why I would not go to a for-profit college or university

This is for everyone…

Back when I didn’t know how to discern between for-profit and not-for-profit colleges and universities, I went to a for-profit school to finish my bachelor’s. When it was time to move onto grad school, the admissions representatives from ALL the universities I applied to said I may have an uphill battle to get accepted. Fortunately, I got into all three schools I applied to – Michigan State University, University of Cincinnati and Boston University. Even though I was fortunate enough to get accepted at 3 out of 3 schools, I always recommend to apply to at least several more. Remember, back when I went to Boston University, and even before I applied, there were no websites easily found on Google that could sufficiently guide, or at the very least, point a person towards at least a half way decent school. But, I digress.

One of the reasons I would aim higher is due to finances. The amount you pay at most for-profit colleges and universities is best described as astronomical. For that same loot you would spend on one year of schooling at a for-profit you can do two years at a very reputable State University, and online at that. Or, even if you spend around the same amount on a higher-caliber school, why not. Even if prior grades may be a problem I would aim very high and go DOWN the list vs. SETTLING for the first school that accepts you.

Another huge reasons I wouldn’t choose a for-profit school to obtain my education is due to public and employer perception. Let’s face it, if you were an employer, willing to hire a person only based on their education, would you take a person from “For-profit School X” or someone who went to University of California, Michigan State U, Penn State, Northeastern U or Boston University (all great academic institutions with name recognition and highly regarded programs). I seem to forget myself that the way we dress, walk, talk and even what we drive matters… so, why wouldn’t the caliber of our education matter? Well, it does. We’re still a superficial society, and even though we tend to try hard to be open-minded and avoid such superficiality, we tend to look at the shiny, new, and most of all, best of the best. Thus, taking this into consideration, you want to strive for the best because the rest is just ordinary. And, in these trying times and ever-assertive society, ordinary doesn’t cut it anymore.

* To ALL readers: before I get lynched for that last paragraph, please take it with a grain of salt. I speak with countless individuals about their experiences – both academically and career-wise – and an overwhelming majority of people that complete their degrees at less than reputable colleges and universities tend to regret it either because they have harder times getting into grad school, or when they look for a NEW career OR for work at a NEW place, they feel that inkling of shame when the person interviewing them glances over and says: “you went to U of For-profit”. And, there are those that are happy with going to a for-profit school. This is usually the case when they stayed with the present employer and they ONLY needed a degree to get promoted… in that case, it’s easy-peasy for most… until, they either quit or have to start looking for a new job (think layoffs or the “I blew up on my boss and was forced to resign” scenario). Then, the tables turn and you were wishing at that moment that you had a reputable college degree to back you.

But Radek, it’s too late – Even if you went to a for-profit school please strive to better yourself personally and professionally in other ways. Remember that education is only one part of what makes you “YOU.” Having great professional experience or amazing personal experiences can have a very positive effect on your next career interview.

THE END

With respect to your comment about for-profit schools, what are the downsides to a for-profit school and why are you not fond of them?

Joanna

As for the schools, you have to pick one yourself, but hopefully after you apply to ALL of them first. To me it’s like picking the right red apple at the Red Apples Only Market. My recommendation, after you get the letters of “Congratulations, you’ve been accepted to…”, is to run a PRO and CON list of sorts that should include financial, geographic, school ranking, program ranking and other personal preferences (amongst other criteria you set). Also, a huge thing… make sure that the program itself is what you want as schools may call it “Master’s in Criminal Justice”, but they may offer differing courses and/or differing individual course objectives.

Good luck and let us know how things go.

Joanna

I remember that Michigan State University and University of Cincinnati had no immediate GRE requirement or waived it entirely if you met certain academic achievements, like: high GPA. Look for the big “OR” when seeing GRE requirements. Those will sometimes get ya.

Just checked really quickly on 4/11/2012:
Arizona State University – “GRE not required for admission”
University of Cincinnati – “The GRE is only required if you do not meet one of the academic performance criteria for admissions”
Michigan State University – “The GRE exam is waived for candidates with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher”

So, depending on how well you did in your undergraduate studies, a GRE may OR may not be required.

University of Nebraska (Omaha) and Sam Houston State University seem to want the GRE scores, but perhaps they might also have some way out. Didn’t dig too deep.

** To all that are reading: Always make sure to do your OWN research on the college or university website as information may be occasionally changed by the school.

Joanna